SUNRISE, Fla. — Just like the week before in the same exact place, the Carolina Hurricanes had no business beating the Florida Panthers on Saturday. But they did it anyway.

“I think it’s going to be huge,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said the first time around. “It might be one of those games you look back on and go, ‘well that was the difference.’ … We know we’ve gotta be better if we’re gonna, you know, get there. But at the end of the day, it’s all about finding a way to win.”

The most recent subpar overall performance — marked by a 34-26 shot deficit and a blown two-goal lead — was understandable on the tail-end of a back to back and a four-game win streak.

The “old” Canes would’ve blown the trap game against a lesser opponent and a goaltender making his NHL debut. The most frustrating thing is that they probably would’ve outplayed the opponent anyway,...